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Phil Parkinson cannot hold Callum McFadzean back any longer after two excellent displays and must unleash the Sunderland defender in Saturday’s League One clash with MK Dons, should he overcome fears of a hamstring injury.

What’s the word?

According to the Evening Express, McFadzean is a major doubt for this weekend’s meeting at the Stadium of Light after being forced off late into Tuesday’s Papa John’s Trophy defeat at Fleetwood Town.

Parkinson had been hopeful that the blow was not serious and would wait for further assessments before deciding on the 26-year-old’s involvement against MK Dons, with Oliver Younger (hamstring) and Cieran Dunne (shoulder) also casualties of the midweek loss.

McFadzean had left a positive impression on Parkinson at Highbury, with the Black Cats boss noting after the game via quotes by the Sunderland Echo: “I thought he was tremendous and gave us a real creative spark down the left. He got us that goal and then when he had to go into left-sided centre-back, I thought he was excellent there as well.”

Parkinson may be without McFadzean against MK Dons, however, as additional assessments have raised question marks over the severity of his hamstring injury, potentially further depriving Sunderland of first-team players with Tom Flanagan and Conor McLaughlin away on international duty.

Luke O’Nien, Lynden Gooch and Denver Hume are also doubts, though Josh Scowen could make his return with the midfielder back in training after suffering a concussion during last week’s 2-1 win over Ipswich Town.

Time to unleash McFadzean

McFadzean’s displays in Sunderland’s FA Cup loss at home to Mansfield and role in Tuesday’s 2-1 defeat at Fleetwood rightly left a positive impression on Parkinson, as Sunderland’s summer capture has shown why the Black Cats sought his signature after the defender was released by Plymouth Argyle.

The left-sided full-back, who is also capable of playing centrally, offered an impressive debut in the FA Cup, when he delivered a string of excellent crosses and forced a save out of Mansfield’s goalkeeper Marek Stech.

He then turned in another fine performance in the EFL Trophy before limping off in the 61st-minute, with McFadzean scoring his first Sunderland goal with a low strike off the inside of the right-hand post after the ball broke kindly to the former Scotland U21 international just inside the box.

It was not only his goal that stood out, either, as McFadzean attempted five ground duels, one aerial duel, delivered two crosses and attempted five long balls during his time on the field, while being fouled twice, per SofaScore.

Parkinson will no doubt be keen to offer McFadzean his Sunderland league debut against MK Dons this weekend and it is certainly time to unleash the 26-year-old after seeing just 136-minutes of him all season, should fears over his hamstring injury subside in time.

AND in other news, a Sunderland talent who “pleased” Phil Parkinson in 2019 took a major step back at Fleetwood.

Former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Marcus Edwards has shown exactly what he’s capable of since moving abroad. 

For whatever reason, Edwards couldn’t force his way into the first team in north London, and he decided to move to Portugal instead.

However, he is well on his way to becoming the one that got away from Spurs in recent years.

With a deft feint, drop of the shoulder and change of direction, the talented attacking midfielder often leaves defenders trailing in his wake.

The Spurs academy graduate opened up about his life in north London in an exclusive, wide-ranging interview with iNews, as relayed by @HotspurRelated.

While he enjoyed a “good relationship” with former boss Mauricio Pochettino, he admitted he doesn’t regret leaving his boyhood club, insisting “I don’t dwell on it.”

Although Edwards is arguably one of the most gifted dribblers to emerge from the academy – averaging more than three dribbles per game in Liga NOS last season – he never got a chance to prove himself.

The Lilywhites have been linked with their former charge this summer, but it appears he is paying no attention to the past and is fully focused on the future.

The 8-cap former England U20 international played 26 games in the Portuguese top flight last term, finishing the season with a tally of seven goals and five assists (Via WhoScored).

Pochettino once compared his playing style to Lionel Messi, but the youngster never established himself at his boyhood club and was allowed to leave as a free agent.

It’s hardly surprising he has attracted attention from his former club and Manchester United, as his contract clause is reportedly worth €15m (£13.5m). However, Jose Mourinho is hardly short of wide options, including wingers Son Heung-min, Erik Lamela, Lucas Moura and Steven Bergwijn, and it wouldn’t make much sense to splash the cash on a player Daniel Levy let go for free.

However, Spurs could still make a tidy profit if he is sold in the summer, as the club will receive half of the profits of any potential sale, so it’s all swings and roundabouts really.

Tottenham fans, should Levy sign Marcus Edwards in the summer? Let us know in the comments below!

Sheffield United are trying to bring some players to the club in the transfer window, and the latest reports suggests they are keen to acquire a winger from fellow Premier League side West Bromwich Albion.

According to The Sun on Sunday (23/8; page 64), via Sportslens, the Blades would like to try and sign Oliver Burke in the summer.

The Baggies are looking to offload the 23 year-old in the transfer window, and will listen to offers of around £5 million.

It has been a tough spell for Burke since he joined West Brom from RB Leipzig back in 2017, per Transfermarkt, as he has been loaned out to Alaves and Celtic as the Baggies have not favoured him.

At these three clubs, he has played 75 times but only scored six goals whilst also picking up eight assists, per Transfermarkt.

However it was his time at Nottingham Forest before moving to the Bundesliga in which he impressed and showed the potential he had. At the club, he was in his late teens, and he managed six goals and three assists in 31 appearances, per Transfermarkt, which is very good for someone so young trying to make a name for himself in the Championship.

Chris Wilder is a man who knows how to get the best out of his players, and this was proven by the fact that he barely changed the squad that got the Blades promoted to England’s top flight, and with these players, they managed to finish in the top ten, per Sky Sports.

Sometimes with players like Burke, they just need to right manager to help them achieve the potential that many have seen them have, and it would not be too huge a risk to sign him for only £5 million as that is not too much money for a young winger.

If Wilder wants to add some quality to his squad and Burke is willing to be a part of the squad depth at Bramall Lane, then this possible transfer, which does look risky, could be a very astute signing.

Blades fans, what are your thoughts on this news? Comment below!

According to The Telegraph, Tottenham have snubbed the chance to swap Tanguy Ndombele with Aaron Ramsey.

What’s the word?

Ndombele has endured a difficult debut campaign in north London, with injuries restricting to him just 20 appearances in the Premier League.

And with Jose Mourinho airing his frustrations with the midfielder in public, there has been major speculation that he could be set for a departure from Spurs this summer.

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However, The Telegraph now claim that the Lilywhites have turned down an approach from Juventus that would have seen Aaron Ramsey join Spurs, and Ndombele head to Italy.

Foolish

Whilst Ramsey’s previous history with Arsenal may have made this move slightly unpopular with sections of the Spurs support, there can be no question that the Welshman proved in his time in the Premier League that he is a premiere goal-scoring midfielder.

The 29-year-old struck 65 times in 371 total games for the Gunners, and he came up with some big goals in some big games too – two FA Cup final winning strikes against Hull and Chelsea respectively are testament to that.

Hailed as an “outstanding technician” by Martin Keown, the £25.2m-rated ace would have given Mourinho’s side an added goal-scoring option from the middle of the park and taken some of the load off the shoulders of Harry Kane and Heung-min Son.

A proven Premier League player, he would have had no problem adapting to life back in English football, unlike Ndombele, and it’s why Mourinho may have made a foolish decision to pass up on the swap off.

Leeds United aren’t the force they used to be.

It’s not nice for any fan to hear that, but after 16 years outside the top-flight, there is a whole generation of fans who don’t view United as the huge club they historically have been.

Gone are the days where they could spend record fees on the likes of Rio Ferdinand or attract Golden Boot winners at the peak of their powers, but despite their waning reputation, they still have quite a lot of pull in some circles for one reason, and that has been evident this week.

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Leeds United have been linked with a move for Argentine wonderkid Thiago Almada.

The Whites have some hefty competition for his signature though as both Manchester United and Manchester City are after him, but it seems as though he prefers a move to Leeds according to TyC Sports as he’s said he wants to be coached by Marcelo Bielsa.

Almada is only 19, so he won’t have many memories of Leeds being a strong force in English football, but the draw of Bielsa is seemingly as strong as ever in Argentina.

Who can blame any player for wanting to work under a coach considered amongst the best in the world?

The fact that a player rated as highly as Almada, who is apparently seen by Pep Guardiola as David Silva’s potential successor at Man City, wants to come to Leeds shows just how much respect El Loco commands.

While Leeds United aren’t quite the glamourous club they used to be, playing under Bielsa is still a dream for many, and as long as they have him they will be able to attract these types of players.

However, if Bielsa leaves, Leeds may not have that same amount of pull, especially in South America, so the Whites must make the most of having the 65-year-old while they can.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Leeds United are apparently planning for a quiet January transfer window.

Indeed, Victor Orta has made it clear that not much will be happening at Elland Road once the window reopens, but there is one twist that could see the Yorkshire club dip into the market.

We’ve previously heard Phil Hay state that Eddie Nketiah being recalled by Arsenal would force United into action this January, but he’s now outlined why signing a replacement striker could be difficult.

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What’s been said then?

The journalist was hosting a post-match Q&A session on The Athletic, and one fan asked about Leeds’ January plans while also stating that he personally believes Nketiah will go in January.

“It’ll get interesting if Nketiah goes because they will sign someone else – I’m told someone in a similar mould to Nketiah but it might be difficult to persuade Premier League clubs that their loanees will get a game.”

Orta magic needed

Leeds may struggle to convince any Premier League clubs that their players are going to get game time, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they can’t convince them that Elland Road is still a lucrative destination for any loanee.

Victor Orta did a great job of convincing Arsenal that Nketiah should come to Leeds this summer with a Dragon’s Den style presentation, and he may need to work a bit more of that magic in January.

He could easily make the point that whether or not a young player regularly starts is secondary as working under Marcelo Bielsa would make it all worthwhile.

Bielsa’s impact on young players is well-documented, but perhaps the best summary comes from Gabriel Batistuta who labelled the 64-year-old as “The only coach to leave an indelible mark on me.”

If Leeds are to try and convince a Premier League club to loan them a young striker then there are other ways to go about it rather than just promising them first-team minutes.

In other news, Leeds fans have slammed one man they labelled a “massive fraud.”

Mikel Arteta favoured a lot of his youth over experience in Arsenal’s recent fixture against Manchester City and it looks like he will continue to do so. The manager was full of praise for one young star in particular following the match.

The Gunners lost the fixture 3-0 but this was more due to the disasterclass of David Luiz than the performance of the whole squad, and there were some positives to take.

Clearly Arteta has noticed this and he spoke highly of forward Eddie Nketiah, as he said (via Arseblog):  “I want him to keep doing what he’s doing. The way he played last night against those players, in those difficult conditions, for me is extraordinary at his age.

“He has an immense personality to play, confidence, he’s powerful and is developing in every area I think. I have a lot of faith in him.”

Nketiah managed to get a 6.8 rating on SofaScore and, bearing in mind his side lost 3-0, this is a respectable rating to achieve from the match and was also the best out of the whole Arsenal team.

He was starved a lot of the ball due to the red card that Luiz received, but he managed to win four out of his six ground duels playing as a forward and shows some promising glimpses against one of England’s best teams, which makes you wonder how he struggled for game-time at Leeds.

The 21 year-old has a decent scoring record ever since he played for the under-18’s at Arsenal, as he has scored 57 goals in 104 appearances, per Transfermarkt. He has also already managed one goal in his six Premier League appearances and, with Arteta in charge and trusting in youth, we could really see Nketiah grow into a top striker.

With Aubameyang now 31, the Gunners are going to need a new leading striker soon, and it will be great for all parties if Nketiah could be the one who steps up and replaces him.

Gunners fans, what are your thoughts on Nketiah? Comment below with your views!

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Speaking on talkSPORT, Simon Jordan has warned Manchester United that “B-rate” manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer may damage their brand.

What did he say?

The Red Devils have endured a miserable start to the current campaign, finding themselves in ninth place in the Premier League and already nine points off the top four too.

Reports in recent weeks have suggested their performances and results on-the-pitch have affected matters off it, with suggestions Chevrolet have been left deeply impressed by the way things were going at United.

And now, Jordan has insisted the longer Solskjaer continues to under-perform with the Manchester side, the more harm it will do to their brand and revenue strands.

He said: “This is a powerhouse of a football club that isn’t performing on the pitch. United are able to command and demand these deals because of the back catalogue, reputation and value of Manchester United. But if that continues to be diminished by a lack of achievement on the pitch with a B-rate manager managing an iconic brand, then it will land.

“And then other clubs will be the ones getting the world-record shirt deals, because Manchester United will lose its lustre. It will happen in the end if they continue to patronise a la-la land thinking around a B-rate manager. I know you’ve had Jose Mourinho and Louis van Gaal, but your blueprint is to bring somebody in who has managed Molde and Cardiff to get you out of the cart you’ve been in for six years? It astounds me.”

Solskjaer isn’t the main issue

Whilst Jordan may understandably have a grievance with Solskjaer’s previous managerial record – a resume of Molde and Cardiff is certainly not the most appealing for a club of United’s status – implying that it is because of the Norwegian’s work at the club that may see their brand get damaged is perplexing.

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United’s ‘brand’ has been taking hit after hit ever since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson, and long before Solskjaer ever arrived on the scene. What exactly did Van Gaal and Mourinho do in attempting to revitalise the club? The Red Devils appear to have a longer-term philosophy in place with trying to emphasise youth and more of a home-grown feel, and that in itself is a refreshing sign of progress.

The current United boss may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but his intent on following through on a project that is in the best interests of the club for the future, should be applauded.

Meanwhile, Man Utd fans still pessimistic even after Pep Guardiola delivers injury update on key star ahead of Manchester derby.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Speaking to iNews, former Arsenal ace Stephan Lichtsteiner has suggested Unai Emery struggled to deal with the club’s top players.

What did he say?

The Spaniard was sacked as the manager of the Gunners last week, after going on a dismal run of no wins in seven games across all competitions.

And whilst performances on-the-pitch were certainly not up to standards, Emery’s handling of key issues involving players like Mesut Ozil and Granit Xhaka for example certainly came under scrutiny.

The former PSG boss appeared to ostracise Ozil from the match-day squad last season, before bringing him back into the first-team fold towards the latter half of the campaign. And following Xhaka’s infamous incident with the Emirates faithful in the game against Crystal Palace, Emery decided to publicly declare that the Switzerland international was in the wrong.

And now, Lichtsteiner has suggested that whilst his general reign was “positive”, he did have an issue with being able to handle the club’s star players.

He said: “I’d say (he is) a good trainer, a good coach, but maybe he struggled with the top players. With the big players, he hasn’t maybe the relationship to bring more out (of them) and get the top performances.

“Maybe that point I can say (something) negative, but the rest was almost everything positive. Over a long time it was really good, then the last two months (of the season) I didn’t really understand what had happened. The training was good, the team that we had last year was an amazing team, so it’s not my thing to speak badly about the coach because it is too easy now to say something against him.”

Man-management

Whilst Lichtsteiner perhaps rather surprisingly was effusive in his praise of Emery, his damning verdict on the Spaniard’s ability to handle the top players at the Emirates speaks volumes of the struggles the former Gunners manager encountered at the club.

He had a similar issue at PSG with trying to deal with Neymar, and it appears he didn’t learn from that experience sufficiently to handle Ozil in particular. Whilst his sentiment in wanting to leave the German out from his team because of his off-the-ball work is understandable, doing so at a time when the Gunners desperately needed results and goals was frustratingly stubborn.

In the end, he gave in, and Ozil won, with the play-maker featuring prominently in Emery’s final few games in charge. Whilst Lichtsteiner’s point was hardly the biggest reason behind his departure, it certainly tallied up to make his life at Arsenal even more difficult than it already was.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Off the Bench series, which places in-game managerial decisions and squad selections under FFC’s microscope.

Charlton succumbed to their fifth defeat of the Championship season on Sunday, falling to a 1-0 loss against Preston.

Alex Neil’s side rose to the top of the Championship after leaving The Valley with three points tucked firmly under their belts, although Lee Bowyer’s delayed decision over one of his players on the bench hindered Charlton’s hopes of finding an equaliser.

Snapshot

The scoreline was nicely poised at 0-0 before Jason Pearce gave away a second-half penalty, which was smashed into the bottom-left corner by 35-year-old Paul Gallagher in the 58th minute.

At that point, Bowyer had already used one of his three subs after bringing Naby Sarr off for Jonathan Leko at half-time, following a dismal 45-minute display from the Senegalese centre-back.

The 42-year-old’s second tactical move was to bring Chuks Aneke on for Darren Pratley, although his third and final sub left a lot to be desired in terms of how long the player had to make an impact.

What did Bowyer do?

Well, the Addicks boss subbed Erhun Oztumer onto the field in the 88th minute, leaving the attacking midfielder with next to no time to make an impact on proceedings – if the scoreline was two or three goals in Preston’s advantage it would’ve made a bit more sense, but there was definitely a point there to be won for Charlton.

The 28-year-old – who Charlton’s Head of Recruitment Steve Gallen described as a “skilful player” – eventually came on for Beram Kayal, a man who is more of a traditional centre midfielder with little attacking nature.

Kayal had also been booked in the 65th minute, so that was just another reason as to why Bowyer should have hooked him off earlier so Oztumer could try and threaten Declan Rudd’s goal.

Oztumer isn’t quite a proven Championship player, but his impressive record of 32 goals in 95 appearances for Walsall suggests he knows where the back of the net is – surely, with little to lose, Bowyer should’ve allowed the former Bolton man a bit more time to make an impact.

Unfortunately, he did not, and the former Leeds midfielder’s delayed tactical decision hindered his side’s chances of a fightback.